A Promise
by JunoMagic
Summary: This is an Alternative Universe sequel to the 'Black Magician' trilogy by Trudi Cavanan.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **"The Black Magician" trilogy, its people, cultures, languages and countries belong to Trudi Cavanan. I have no money, I make no money – in other words, I'm mostly harmless. This unexpected detour into a new fandom proves that Henry Jenkins, the director of media studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is quite right when he says "Fan fiction is the way of the culture repairing the damage done in a system where contemporary myths are owned by corporations instead of owned by the folk."

This is AU. And yes, I admit it: I write it solely because I think that the real ending of the series sucks.

Enjoy!

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**oooOooo**

**The End**

Akkarin dropped to his side, even as the remaining magicians advanced on the Sachakan. Deadly determination shone like cold fire in the eyes of every guild member. For a moment Sonea hesitated, torn between the need to heal and the need to kill.

To her surprise, the Ichani did not attack at once. A slight wavering in his stance told her that this he had not anticipated this turn of events at all.

"You're dead," she hissed. And she knew she had the power to kill him. But he hesitated. Now, with Akkarin lying dead on the floor, the ichan did not seem so eager to continue the fight. A fight that he was sure to lose… no matter how many other magicians he'd take with him. For a second she caught a strange spark in his eyes. Cold, cruel calculation. He was looking at someone who was standing behind Sonea.

Then he did something unexpected. He dropped down on his knees. "I see I was mistaken. The Guild is not quite as powerless as I expected it to be."

But a cruel smile was tugging at his mouth as he cast a sideways glance at where Akkarin lay in a puddle of dark red blood. For a second Sonea almost lost hold of her anger.

"Your Majesty, I beg for your mercy."

Sonea took a step backwards, just enough so she could see King Merin's reaction. Was there still enough time to save Akkarin? If he died, only because…

"Why should I grant you my mercy?"

"I could kill all of your magicians, before you are able to overwhelm me."

How could he appear so calm? When would they finally stop talking? She felt how the power Akkarin had given her was already starting to ebb away. She tried to discern if he was still breathing. A knot of fear turned her stomach upside down. Calm, Sonea. She focused on the Ichan again.

"And I could be useful to you." A devious glint shimmered in Kariko's eyes.

But surely the King wouldn't fall for that. To her horror, she saw how a hint of greed flashed through Lord Garrel's eyes. Kariko remained utterly still, giving no excuse to attack him.

"Very well." The King looked at the magicians. "As I understand there is an option of depleting his reservoir of power? Make sure he is harmless. If he offers any resistance, kill him. No matter what the cost. But only -" his voice turned unexpectedly sharp and commanding. "Only if there's no other choice."

Then he was gone.

Kariko remained where he was. "Now, who's going to dare and touch me? Are you sure you can do what your king has ordered you to do?"

Sonea stepped forward. "Be careful what you say, ichan!"

She did not bother to reach down. She slashed the blade right across his forehead. She expected him to turn on her, to try and kill her and everyone else. But he stayed where he was, unmoving. Moments later power suffused her.

When she was sure that there was no power left in the ichan, she turned around. Akkarin lay on the ground, his face stark white against the crimson of blood and the black of his robes. His face was contorted with agony, his fingers curled stiffly around the blade protruding from his chest.

He was not breathing.

"Akkarin!"

Sonea dropped to the ground next to him, unheedful of the blood and the magicians closing in on the ichan.

"Akkarin," she whispered.

**oooOooo **

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**oooOooo **

**********Please feel free to leave a comment!**

_Anything at all:_ If you noticed a typo, if you don't like a characterization or description, if you thought a line especially funny, if there was anything you particularly enjoyed …I am really interested in what my readers think about my writing.

You can either leave a public comment (signed or anonymous), send me a private message, visit my forums or mail me off-site: juno _underscore_ magic _at_ magic _dot_ ms

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Yours  
JunoMagic


	2. Chapter 2

**Healing **

"Akkarin!" She tried to find a pulse, breathing. Panic washed over her. She was only a novice, she wasn't a healer yet!

Suddenly there was someone behind her. Dorrien knelt down next to Akkarin, nimble fingers gliding over the High Lord's face and chest. "He's still hanging on, but barely, barely. You need to let me guide you."

"How?"

"Open your mind."

He moved behind her, melding his body against her, covering her hands with his. "Now! You need to keep from panicking or he _will_ die."

She tried to let Dorrien in, tried to open the door of her mind to him, but she was locked in, the strange power of the Ichan was closing in on her, choking her.

"We'll need that power. He will need that power. Let go!"

"I can't, Dorrien, I can't!" she cried, her voice breaking into sobs.

For a moment Dorrien was silent. Then he said, his tone strangely brittle. "Can you remember the first time you were together?"

"What?"

"Call up that memory."

She stared down at Akkarin's face. Under her hands she felt how it was no longer only blood flowing out of his wound. It was his essence. What remained of his life-force.

Desperate, she closed her eyes and plunged into her mind. For a moment she thought she would drown, in power, in pain. Then she was back under the overhang in that steep valley, lying on the bed of wilted grass. And he was there with her. She felt the echo of his lips on her body, and her body recalled how it was to turn liquid under a man's touch…

Now she felt another touch around her, within her. Dorrien. Sturdy. The taste of vanilla and a hint of forest.

"There, that's it. Now let me push a little of that power into him. We need to stop the flow of his essence first. Then we remove that knife."

She was feeling the grass beneath her back, the weight of Akkarin on her body. Her reply was a faint yes, even as she let go of her power, floating on the memory.

Dorrien moved her hands around the blade of the knife. She felt the power surge from her palms. At first there was no difference. He did not open his eyes.

But then, somewhere between the memory and the blood and the fear, she realized that the horrible, deathly stillness had dissipated from his body. She still wasn't able to detect any breathing.

"That takes a little more power…" Dorrien reached, through her power, right into Akkarin's body. "Now."

She felt the power ripped from within her, and at the same time the terrible pain of the knife in Akkarin's chest. A spasm of pain shuddered through the body underneath her hands. A horrible gargling moan, then Akkarin coughed. A foam of blood formed on his lips.

"NOOOOO!" Sonea screamed in her mind. Dorrien's grip on her tightened.

"Let go, you have to let go! Float!" There was a hint of pain in the healer's mind-voice.

Akkarin jerked. Then his trembling fingers closed around her wrist instead of the knife. She felt tears flowing down her cheek, and with her tears, power.

"I'll remove the blade now. You need to stem the blood flow. And he mustn't lose any of his power."

She nodded, having no voice left.

"Ready?"

She drew her power into her hands. Somehow she could still smell the memory of drying grass and the cooling sweat of passion.

Dorrien pulled the knife upwards. A slow, smooth motion that showed just how much experience as a healer he had. "Now! Press down."

She pressed down with all her strength. Sealing the wound, stemming the flow of blood and life-force, while Akkarin moaned and jerked under her hands. She looked down at her hands and saw that they were red with blood. Her fingers looked as if she had dipped them into a bucket of paint. On the back of her hands brown flakes of crusted blood were peeling off.

Suddenly a thick white padding of linen was shoved under her fingers.

"Lung's punctured. But he's too weak, I need to recharge his energy levels first."

Another voice. Vinara. "But you don't have enough power."

"Do you?" Dorrien's voice was impatient.

"No."

"Sonea does."

"It dangerous to receive and lose so much power so quickly."

How could they argue at a time like this? Sonea looked up, feeling her face fire up with anger. "He'll die if I don't! Help me!"

Dorrien did not reply, only laid his hands over hers once more, in order to direct her power.

"Try to go back to that memory. And then let go."

Akkarin's hands tightened around her wrists. And somehow that feeling was enough to send her back. Back to that morning…

Power poured out of her, into Akkarin, guided by Dorrien. A rushing, flooding of power that she could not control anymore. Her hands were growing cold, even as she felt the rhythm of laboured breathing under her palms. Suddenly the world seemed to fall in on itself.

From far away she heard her voice. "Will he live?"

And an answer. But the answer was almost inaudible, and she heard it within her.

_"I promise. You stubborn little fool."_

Then everything went dark around her.

**oooOooo**

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**oooOooo**

**********Please feel free to leave a comment!**

_Anything at all:_ If you noticed a typo, if you don't like a characterization or description, if you thought a line especially funny, if there was anything you particularly enjoyed …I am really interested in what my readers think about my writing.

You can either leave a public comment (signed or anonymous), send me a private message, visit my forums or mail me off-site: juno _underscore_ magic _at_ magic _dot_ ms

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this story.

Yours  
JunoMagic


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